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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · trunk · bear · mine · date · coach · prune · mug

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bear — the animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mine — for digging
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. date — the fruit
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mug — to rob
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com